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    The Lazy Ballerina Bistro

    4.2 (69 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    The Lazy Ballerina Bistro Photos

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    THE LAZY BALLERINA BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

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    Cute room to side of bar area
    Renee I.

    What a cute place. You gotta be comfortable with the feminine vibe (lots of pink and florals). The food was fantastic. We started off at the bar for happy hour. Had a drink and a couple of appetizers then moved to dining table for dinner. The bar chairs are quite comfortable and I appreciated the hooks on underneath side of bar for purses etc. Because we had 5 in our group the bartender suggested we eat dinner upstairs in what was essentially a private room. That was just perfect. We had a whole room to ourselves. There was even our own bathroom. I should mention the delicious 1911 salad I got with salmon. My husband loved the meatloaf he ordered. We also got a piece of chocolate cake- so yummy.

    Waldorf salad.

    I was solo, had been wanting to check it out. Sat at the bar, agree with another reviewer that it is not inviting. Ordered the Waldorf salad, while it was good, it was room temperature, which I found odd. I also found it astonishing that the chef literally yells to the waitress or bartender from the kitchen to pick up food. Like it's 2026, must be a better less annoying way.

    Meatloaf $21
    Amber P.

    I came here because the other place I wanted wasn't open but I made no mistake. The food was so good I may go back before I head home. The service was great & the restaurant was clean and cute. 10/10 would recommend.

    Women's restroom
    Candace M.

    We were here on Valentines Day & they were very busy with limited staff. The place is amazing inside, if in this area go there just for the experience inside, gorgeous bar & unusual tableware. I had the salmon & it was good. If in the area I would try it again. They also had a man playing the guitar & singing & it was at a very good noise level, not loud.

    Bar area
    Andrea S.

    Food was fabulous! You must try the bread pudding! Happy hour was great. We will be back!

    Cobb salad

    This place has a menu that offers a variety of food. The atmosphere is absolutely charming. We enjoyed chicken pot pie and Cobb salad for lunch. Service was stellar!

    Fried Grouper Fish and Chips

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    2 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Such a cute inviting place! Service was great, fast and we absolutely loved the pink tree!

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Food was good and plentiful ... the air was blowing on us .... Too cold. The bar was not inviting.

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    11 months ago

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    5 months ago

    The 100+ year old building has lots of ambience and coupled with the friendly service and food it is a very enjoyable and tasty night out.

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    5 months ago

    Food was impressive and the service was very good. We will most definitely be back and have told friends to try it out.

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    4 months ago

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    11 months ago

    Absolutely loved this restaurant!! Service, food , environment all A+. We csnt wait to go back again soon!

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    Page 1 of 2

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    Pig Out Bbq & Southern Soul Food

    Pig Out Bbq & Southern Soul Food

    4.0
    (192 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    This was a great find. Working smokers outside gave the place that authentic BBQ feel, picnic…read moretables outside, more seating inside, wonderful service. This is what a BBQ joint should be. We even got to chat with Eddie the Pitmaster for a couple of minutes, he is the real deal. I love BBQ and to me, there is no such thing as bad BBQ. That said, this was super good. I tried their Beef Brisket Platter and part of their The Pig Mac. With Manny the humanoid pig looking on, we dove in. The brisket was flavorful, no sauce needed. There was plenty of fat and plenty of slices. For my two sides I tried their coleslaw, which was fine, and their cucumber salad. I'm a big flavor guy and love cucumber slices soaked in vinegar. After we had ordered our food another customer stopped by our table and praised their The Pig Mac so much, we added it to our order. What a great recommendation. It is a sandwich with a cheesy patty of mac n' cheese, pulled pork on the side. We even got another side and tried their potato salad made with both white and sweet potatoes. I liked the thinking outside the box potato salad. The pulled pork, like the brisket, stood very well on its own without sauce. The pork topping the cheesy patty just worked so well. We will be back.

    Shame on us for not eating here much sooner! The food is…read moreamazing! Hot, fresh and served quick. Our waitress was very kind and polite. Inside there is bar seating area and tables. Hightop or 4 person seating tables. Outdoor patio is covered and many picnic style tables. The pork sandwich comes with a hefty roll on your plate. You make your own sandwich. BBQ sauce is on the table. The brisket was hot fresh and lean. For all of the ridiculous reviews stating it's fatty- hello! Brisket is a fatty cut. It was perfection!

    Photos
    Women's restroom
    Women's restroom
    My favorite! The taco trio, brisket and chicken
    My favorite! The taco trio, brisket and chicken
    Ribs&chicken

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    Ribs&chicken
    Cottonmouth Southern Soul Food

    Cottonmouth Southern Soul Food

    3.4
    (45 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    This was an interesting restaurant. It was literally in a neighborhood and we thought we were in…read morethe wrong area, but no, the correct spot. We ordered the fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, a vegetable medley that included collards, black eye peas, Gabon beans, and boiled peanuts, and corn bread, which was delicious. However, the crab cakes were nothing but fried, seasoned bread and a half baked mac and cheese where the cheese was not even melted! I think what took the cake, was the waitress who was obviously having a bad day. We overheard a customer asking how much the cornbread, and she told him, "free because you don't like it!" Oh and when we tried to pay for the food, their credit machine could not read our numbers, so we had to give them three different cards and then received no receipt!! The ambiance reminded me of being at one of my friend's row houses in DC back in the day, so use your imagination. I think this is a place a lot of locals hang out and get better service. For first timers, good luck in getting a waitstaff with a better attitude.

    What a delightful surprise to find a unique mouth watering taste of the south in 'Bradenton. Tucked…read moreaway in a quiet neighborhood setting we had the best sautéed shrimp and manchego cheese grits meal that is to die for. This ranks in my top two favorite dishes rivaling Owen's Fish Camp. Worth the drive from Sarasota, and meet the wonderful owner and staff. I'll be back! We discovered this wonderful restaurant while on the "Original Culinary Tour" from the www.eatlikealocal.com

    Photos
    Good vibes for Friday night
    Good vibes for Friday night
    Chicken good, Mac down
    Chicken good, Mac down
    Cottonmouth Southern Soul Food

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    Fork & Hen

    Fork & Hen

    4.5
    (263 reviews)
    11.6 mi
    $$

    We made an impulse visit to the Fork & Hen for dinner. We were able to get in without a…read morereservation and opted to sit inside, they also have outdoor seating. Interesting décor of stuff. I was seated facing a wall so I didn't get a good long look at my surroundings but between what I did see and looking at photos posted on Yelp the theme seems to be chickens. Our server was friendly and available to answer any questions as we spent time looking over the menu. I settled on The Hitman, a double patty smashed burger with American cheese, hen sauce, fried mozzarella, Nueske's bacon, with a side of garlic parm fries. It isn't listed on the online menu but there is a note the menu changes frequently so it may not match the day's offering. Let me start by saying that two of the people at my table got salads and were disappointed that there was too much lettuce and too little other stuff. With that out of the way, let me talk about The Hitman, which I loved. What is Nueske bacon? This is a special smoked flavorful bacon made by the Nueske family. Fork & Hen uses thick cut, and there were two slices on my burger. My burger towered so high there was no hope of picking it up, so I attacked it with knife and fork. Being made with Focaccia bread certainly added to the height, but so did a thick block of mozzzrella cheese. The cheese, melted on the inside and crispy on the outside, was substantial. I would be careful biting into a hot block of melted cheese, think pizza mouth. In my photo I broke into one corner to show that is cheese, so much cheese. The burger patty part topped with American cheese was by itself great, like you might find at a home cookout or Smashburgers. Other toppings were there but for me this was meat and a lot of cheese. And as much bread as you want. I loved my surprising good cheeseburger.

    A disappointing experience. Walked in around 7pm and the restaurant was completely empty. That…read moreshould have been our first indication. Our table ordered a couple of dishes: chicken and waffles, southern fried chicken, shrimp fried rice, and the hitman. The water tasted like it came straight from the water fountain outside the restaurant. Chicken was overly breaded and salty, and the corn cake was sour. I also don't know how they managed to dry out dark meat. The waffle was semi burnt. The shrimp "fried rice" was soggy, vinegary, almost sushi rice like texture, and shrimp was heavily salted. The hitman smashed burger... the hitman probably killed people with the insane amount of salt on the plate. See the theme? Lighten up on the salt unless you're trying to give your customers clogged arteries. Extremely disappointing considering all the great reviews we saw before going.

    Photos
    Interior bar seating
    Interior bar seating
    Yellowtail snapper with Thai sauce
    Yellowtail snapper with Thai sauce
    Nana's banana pudding

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    Nana's banana pudding
    Leroy's Southern Kitchen & Bar

    Leroy's Southern Kitchen & Bar

    4.2
    (579 reviews)
    50.9 mi
    $$

    To wrap up our Father's Day getaway, the wife once again reminded me why she's the CEO of vacation…read moreplanning. She found Leroy's Southern Kitchen & Bar in Punta Gorda, and let me tell you this place isn't a restaurant it's a whole Saturday night experience! I walked in thinking there had to be a festival, birthday party, or somebody famous in town. Nope! That's just how they roll every Saturday. Live music, people dancing, everyone smiling I started wondering if they slipped happiness into the sweet tea. Now the wife ordered the Nevermind Pressed Burger with extra cheese and black coffee steak sauce. NEVERMIND?? More like Never mind my diet! One bite then another then another and suddenly her plate looked like the dishwasher had already been there. The burger was cooked perfectly, juicy, cheesy, and that steak sauce should be illegal in at least 12 states. Meanwhile, I ordered the 10 oz. Skirt Steak with jasmine rice, carrots, green onions, and their house made Asian marinade. Listen whoever made that sauce I need the recipe, your autograph, and your retirement plan. I was this close to asking for a to go cup so I could pour it on my cereal tomorrow morning. Mama mia that steak disappeared faster than my paycheck after my wife says, Let's just stop at one more store. Then dessert happened. We saw our neighbors order the homemade Banana Nilla Pudding special. My wife looked at me with that look that says, We're getting one. Fellas you already know that's not a suggestion. Well she got one. I got exactly three bites. THREE! ‍ By the time I looked back, the jar was cleaner than the windows at a car wash. Dear Lord now I understand why my doctor keeps telling me to watch my sugar. That pudding almost had me scheduling my next A1C appointment from the table. The live band had me singing songs from back in the day don't ask which ones. Some of y'all are detectives and I'm not giving away my age! And a huge shout-out to Athena! She knew that menu like she wrote it herself. Friendly, funny, attentive she made us feel like regulars even though it was our first visit. So thank you, Uncle Leroy! Between the food, the music, the atmosphere, and my wife stealing 97% of the dessert, this was the perfect way to end an unforgettable Father's Day getaway. Five stars. Come hungry leave happy and if you order the Banana Nilla Pudding, order TWO. One for your wife and one that you hide under the table. Trust me.

    Had the pulled pork barbecue sandwich and what a great choice!…read moreMoved to S W Fla from Georgia a few years ago and I'd put this sandwich up against any other! Arrived at opening to meet friends who we had not seen in a while and told the waitress to let us know if they needed the table, but we were not rushed!

    Photos
    Fish decor on a wall
    Fish decor on a wall
    Jalapeño burger!
    Jalapeño burger!
    Merch available - shirts

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    Merch available - shirts

    The Lazy Ballerina Bistro - soulfood - Updated July 2026

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